Madrid's Real Madrid published a harsh official statement following a disappointing away match against Atletico in the Spanish championship. As reported by Sport RBC.UA citing the club's official website, the "whites" expressed public outrage over a number of controversial decisions by the refereeing team and the performance of the video replay system (VAR). The club's management emphasized that, in their assessment, the match at the Metropolitano arena was marred by "catastrophic errors" on the part of the main referee Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias, and that the totality of the decisions he made, in the club's view, "crosses the acceptable limit".
Course of the match and attempts to turn the game around
Despite being a man down in the second half, Jose Mourinho's side tried to change the course of events on the pitch and press the opponent. In the closing stages, Real Madrid managed to narrow the gap: in the 89th minute, Antonio Rudiger sent the ball into Atletico's net. However, the team failed to equalize, and the match ended in the hosts' favor. This, along with the refereeing episodes, became the reason for the public protest by the Madrid side.
Controversial decisions by the referee and the VAR system
The club's statement specifically highlights two episodes from the first half. First, according to Real Madrid, the referee did not dare to send off an Atletico defender for a serious foul on Jude Bellingham, settling for only a yellow card even after reviewing the situation via the VAR system. Second, the Madrid side drew attention to an episode in which a "matratzer" player stepped heavily with his studs on Federico Valverde's ankle, yet, according to the club's statement, neither the main referee who was nearby nor the video replay system reacted to this moment.
Heisen's red card and tactical consequences
Separate outrage at Real Madrid's management was caused by the sending-off of the team's center-back Dean Heisen at the start of the second half. The club noted that this episode disrupted the team's tactical plans and forced the "whites" to play with a man down for most of the second half, which, in their view, predetermined the final result.
The club's official position
In its address, Real Madrid's management made it clear that such refereeing decisions, in the club's assessment, go beyond the acceptable limits, and it was precisely this that compelled the team to publicly voice its protest. It is noted that the statements about specific errors by the referee and VAR represent the official position of the Madrid club; independent verification of each of the mentioned episodes is not provided in this material, and the final score of the match is not disclosed in the statement.
